


a perfect sunset

by lgbtqshipper



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Gangs, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, Internalized Homophobia, Medium burn maybe?, Not Canon Compliant, On Hiatus, Penelope Blossom Is A Colossal Bitch, Romance, Slow Burn (ish), Sunsets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-06-27 22:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15694902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lgbtqshipper/pseuds/lgbtqshipper
Summary: Sometimes, when Toni has had a few drinks, she allows herself to think about what it would be like if Cheryl liked her back. She imagines days spent playfully arguing about the stupidest things and nights spent making up and making out under the stars. Toni daydreams about soft skin and fiery hair; plump, cherry red lips and her palm resting on the small of Cheryl's back.Toni lets herself think about a lot of little things that she knows she'll never have.ORToni loves sunsets- the colors, the symbolism, everything. Cheryl, however, is more fickle when it comes to sunsets. No matter how many photos she looks at, she doesn’t see the raw beauty.Cheryl insists that there’s only one thing she needs to qualify a sunset as perfect, so Toni makes it her mission to find out what this is.





	1. she wants to kiss on lips (but she's scared to get caught)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl and Toni begin what they call "the sunset game," Toni comforts Cheryl, and Cheryl comforts Toni.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally just supposed to be a oneshot, but I got a little carried away. The chapter titles will all be from "She Likes Girls" by Metro Station.

Toni knows from the moment that she meets her roommate that at some point (likely in the very near future) they will bump heads. Her theory is proven right when after only two weeks of living with Cheryl (her roommate), they get in a fight over one of the things Toni is passionate about- sunsets.

Toni had been walking across the quad in the evening, just when the sun had begun to sink below the horizon and paint the sky with brightly colored hues. She had been unable to resist the sight, and she even snapped a picture that she planned to share with her roommate later. When Toni finally came into her room, she found Cheryl typing away diligently on her laptop.

"Hey, Cheryl, take a look at this!" Toni says excitedly, bounding over to her. Her roommate glance only briefly at the photo before returning to her writing.

"So, what do you think?" Toni prompts her, raising an eyebrow at the non-answer.

"It's okay, I guess," Cheryl responds distractedly, shrugging. Toni's jaw drops.

"'Okay'?" she repeats incredulously. "What are you, some sunset cynic?" The redhead sighs (resignedly, almost like she was expecting this reaction) and closes her computer, giving Toni her full attention.

"No, I am not in fact a 'sunset cynic,' as you put it," Cheryl tells her. She pauses for a moment, and then, smirking, continues: "Actually, there's only one thing I need to classify a sunset as perfect."

"And what would that be?" Toni asks.

"I guess you'll have to find out," Cheryl replies, grinning devilishly before opening her laptop again. Never one to back down from a challenge, Toni narrows her eyes at her roommate and retreats to her own bed, wracking her brain for any clues on what exactly Cheryl doesn't like about the picture. She comes up empty, and eventually, she just goes to bed.

The next morning, she studies the photo again, this time with a critical eye, while she's waiting for the coffee to brew. Cheryl wakes up about half an hour later and grabs Toni's cup, making a beeline for the door.

"Hey, that's mi-" Toni protests, stopping when she realizes that her roommate is already gone. Grumbling, she gets a new mug and then remembers that she wanted to quiz Cheryl about what she's now referring to as 'Cheryl's vendetta against sunsets' (which may be a little unfair, especially since the ginger has only specifically said that she wasn't a big fan of  _one_ sunset).

 _I'll talk to her after class,_ Toni decides.

 

* * *

 

"Cheryl, we need to ta-" Toni calls out as she bursts into their room, only to stop in her tracks when she finds her roommate crying. "Cheryl?"

She's not sure what the protocol is for this (she's only known the redhead for a few weeks, after all), but when Cheryl reaches out her arms for a hug, Toni obliges. Toni holds her roommate tightly, rubbing soothing circles on her back until Cheryl's full-out sobbing slows down. When the crying finally stops, Toni sits back on her heels and faces Cheryl, who is sitting cross-legged on her bed.

"Do you want to talk?" Toni offers gently. "You don't have to if you don't want to." Cheryl takes a shaky breath and wipes the tears off of her face.

"I was talking with my mother," she says simply, her tone suggesting that she and her mom don't have the best relationship.

"That bad, huh?" Toni sympathizes with her. She's had her fair share of mom issues as well. Cheryl nods.

"So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?" the redhead asks, changing the subject. Toni goes with it, not wanting to pry any further than Cheryl is comfortable with.

"Well, I did want to ask you some questions about sunsets, but I can always do that later if you'd prefer..." Toni proposes. Cheryl considers her suggestion for a few seconds and then smiles brightly.

"You can ask your questions tomorrow, but for now, how do you feel about Netflix?" she returns.

"I think that it's  _sensational,_ why do you ask?" Toni replies. She knows that she's given the right answer when Cheryl's eyes sparkle before she grabs her computer and moves over, patting the spot next to her. Toni squishes up against Cheryl's side as the redhead opens Netflix.

"What do you want to watch?" Cheryl asks.

"How about The 100?" Toni offers. Cheryl scrunches up her nose in distaste, and Toni almost smiles, because it seems like Cheryl's already getting back to her old self. 

"Isn't that show really problematic with the whole 'Bury Your Gays' trope?" the ginger recalls skeptically.

"Yeah, but it's got a pretty good plot outside of that," Toni argues. "What do  _you_ suggest?"

"Easy. Everything Sucks!" Cheryl answers, folding her arms over her chest.

"Wasn't that show cancelled after only one season?" Toni retorts.

"Yes, so?" her roommate stubbornly responds.

" _So,_ there won't be much of a show to watch," Toni reasons.

"Everything Sucks! was a teenage lesbian/coming out story for the ages," Cheryl insists.

"How about we compromise and watch Wynonna Earp instead?" Toni suggests.

"In what _universe_ is Wynonna Earp a compromise between those two shows?" Cheryl demands.

" _Fine._ One Day at a Time?" Toni proffers next.

" _Fine._ " Cheryl mimics her tone. The redhead begins the pilot episode of said show and the two of them not-so-subtly inch closer to one another again, Toni wrapping her arm around Cheryl's waist and Cheryl leaning her head on Toni's shoulder to show that all bad will is forgiven.

And, in these exact positions, they binge-watch throughout the night.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, true to her promise, Cheryl gets up at the same time as Toni (albeit reluctantly) so that the pink-haired girl can finally ask her questions and (possibly) get some answers.

Sitting across from Cheryl, who is rubbing the sleep from her eyes and nursing a cup of coffee (not Toni's this time), Toni is energized and already going through her list.

"Okay, first question: is it the lighting?" Toni asks.

"I can't answer that," Cheryl replies, poker-faced. Toni blinks.

"Um, okay? Is it... the coloring?" she tries next.

"I can't answer that," the redhead repeats.

"Is it the place?" Toni queries.

"I can't answer that either," Cheryl says again, clearly amused now.

"What  _can_ you answer?" Toni questions her, frustrated.

"Simple. You show me sunsets, and I'll tell you whether or not I like them," Cheryl explains, resting her elbows on the table.

"How... easy," Toni deadpans, rolling her eyes. Her roommate grins.

"Hey, you're the one that wanted to play, remember?" she reminds Toni.

"And play the game, I will," the pink-haired girl responds, undettered. Cheryl smirks cockily.

"We'll see about that.

 

* * *

 

"-how about this one?" Toni asks, flipping to the next picture. She's been taking photos of sunsets for  _years,_ and she's collected so many that she created an album on her phone dedicated to pictures of sunsets.

However, Cheryl doesn't seem to like any of them.

"No," the redhead repeats, bored.

"You aren't even looking at the photos!" Toni protests. Cheryl lets out a loud, long-suffering sigh and turns her gaze to the phone screen.

"Okay, this one?" Toni inquires again.

"No," Cheryl replies flatly. The pink-haired girl sighs and slides to the next picture.

"This o-" Toni begins, but her roommate cuts her off.

"Who's that?" Cheryl questions her, her interest piqued. Toni glances at the phone and her heart sinks when she recognizes the photo. Not at the quality -- the picture is one of the best she's ever taken -- but at the person  _in_ the picture. The photo is of a girl standing in a field. Her head is thrown back in laughter and her blonde hair is illuminated from behind by the fading glow of the sun. It's a candid picture, snapped at just the right moment...

"It's my ex-girlfriend," Toni confesses, swallowing the lump in her throat. "We broke up two months ago because she didn't want to do long distance." Cheryl's hand reaches out and grabs her own, squeezing tightly. Toni wonders how the tables turned so quickly, with Cheryl now being the comforter and Toni becoming the comforted.

"I'm so sorry, T.T., but you deserve to be with someone who will be willing to do long-distance with you, and for you. She just wasn't the one," Cheryl tells her, her words full of confidence and self-assuredness.

All of the sudden, Toni notices that the redhead is a lot closer than she was before. It's almost as if Toni could lean in and kiss her if she wanted to...

And Toni really,  _really_ wants to.

But  _just_ as their lips are about to touch, Cheryl springs away.

"Shit! I'm going to be late to class!" she yells, panicking (although Toni doesn't think that her alarm is purely school-related). Cheryl dashes out of the door like the room is on fire, and as soon as she's gone, Toni's face crumbles.

 _How could you be so stupid?_ she berates herself.  _How could you think that she wanted to be anything more than your friend?_

Toni's anger at herself quickly turns into despair and dread.  _I've ruined our friendship. She's never going to speak to me again._

_I should've never tried to kiss a straight girl._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this isn't too bad so far, please leave comments or kudos and tell me what you think!


	2. if you're craving her body (you shouldn't hide it)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni thinks about Cheryl, Cheryl goes to see a sunset, and they finally talk.

When Toni gets back from classes that day, Cheryl is already asleep (or pretending to sleep so that she doesn't have to talk to Toni about their awkward almost-kiss, Toni wouldn't blame her).

It goes the same way for three more days. Cheryl wakes up even earlier and either goes to sleep earlier or stays out later, all for the sole purpose of avoiding Toni. Finally, on the fourth day, Toni decides to break the silence between them. As much as she'd like to never bring up  _that_  moment ever again and as  _exhausted_ as she is when she wakes up an hour earlier than usual to talk to Cheryl, she knows that it has to happen if she wants to try to repair their relationship.

Cheryl looks taken aback when she sees Toni, and for a second, Toni thinks that she might just turn around and leave. However, the redhead merely lets out a tiny sigh of resignation and slowly trudges over to Toni.

"Can we talk?" Toni asks softly. Cheryl hesitates then nods once. The pink-haired girl opens her mouth, preparing to finally talk about the meaning and the ramifications of their not-kiss, but she chickens out at the last moment.

"Are we still playing that sunset game?" Toni asks instead. She knows that she's only covering up a bullet hole with a band-aid and that she's only delaying their talk, but the grateful look in Cheryl's eyes makes Toni feel like it's all worth it.

"I'm in if you are," Cheryl responds tentatively.

"I guess it's on, then," Toni decides, and Cheryl's face breaks into a grin (Toni hates how much she loves seeing Cheryl smile).

And with that, a fragile truce is struck between the two of them. They haven't quite made it back to what they'd call  _friends_ since the incident, but Toni would like to think that they're making progress. They go through some more of Toni's photos every day. Now, though, Cheryl limits her responses to simple, disinterested "no"s, and when they do happen upon a picture featuring a person, the redhead no longer asks any questions about them. The distance between the two of them is palpable, but neither of them wants to be the one to close the gap.

No matter how casual they keep it between them, Toni can't deny her growing feelings for her obviously uninterested roommate ( _Of course this is how it's going to be,_  she thinks bitterly one night when she's feeling particularly sorry for herself.  _I'm only ever going to fall for people that are, without a doubt, not into me_ ).

Sometimes, when Toni has had a few drinks, she allows herself to think about what it would be like if Cheryl liked her back. She imagines days spent playfully arguing about the stupidest things and nights spent making up and making out under the stars. Toni daydreams about soft skin and fiery hair; plump, cherry red lips and her palm resting on the small of Cheryl's back.

Toni lets herself think about a lot of little things that she knows she'll never have.

 

* * *

 

It only takes about a week to go through all of Toni's pictures. Once those are gone, Toni arranges to have Cheryl go see a sunset with one of her close friends from high school, Fangs Fogarty. Toni figures that maybe seeing a sunset in person might be the 'one thing' that Cheryl requires for a truly perfect sunset.

It takes them a while to find a date that works for both of them, but when Fangs finally does drive up, Toni informs the two of them that she won't be going with them. She concocts a horrible excuse as to why, but she can't exactly tell Cheryl the truth: that she's afraid that if she does go, she'll try to make the moment more than it is. Toni knows that her roommate sees right through her lie, but she doesn't call her on it, probably for the same reason that Toni told the lie in the first place.

Fangs and Cheryl go watch the sunset, and Toni gets a text from her old friend.

 **Fangs** : She said it's "not quite right."

Not much later, Toni receives a call from Cheryl.

"Hey, Cheryl... What's up?" Toni inquires, puzzled and a little worried. "Did something happen between you and Fangs? Because he may come on a little strong, but he's a good guy. He'll back off if you tell him that you're not interested-"

"Toni," Cheryl cuts her off, her voice strained. "Calm down. Nothing happened between me and Fangs."

"Then why are you calling me? You're on your way back anyway," Toni points out, more confused than ever.

"We need to talk," the redhead tells her, a sense of finality in her tone. "For real, this time." Toni is filled with dread.

"But not over the phone," Cheryl continues. "We'll do it when I get back." With that, Cheryl hangs up.

 _No avoiding it now_ , Toni thinks grimly.

 

* * *

 

As soon as Cheryl walks into their room, Toni sits up straight and fixes her eyes on Cheryl.

"So," the pink-haired girl begins, "You wanted to talk."

"Yes," her roommate responds, even though it isn't a question. She tosses her things off to the side and then, losing her confidence in her movements, falters. Cheryl fidgets with her hands and looks down at her feet until Toni clears her throat. The redhead's eyes flick towards her and Toni motions Cheryl over to where she is self-consciously sitting on her bed, her legs dangling over the edge. The ginger girl coughs unsubtly and walks over, still not regaining the purpose in her step. She clambers onto the bedspread a few feet away from Toni and awkwardly folds her legs into a cross-legged position.

"If this is about the almost-kiss thing, I'm super sorry about that," Toni apologizes in a rush. "I misread the signals and I came on too strong, and again, I'm really sorry. I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable-"

"Toni, this isn't about that." Cheryl interrupts her for the second time that night.

"Oh." The brunette blinks. "It isn't?"

"Well, it sort of is," the redhead corrects herself. "But it's also not, because it's about my mom."

"What about your mom?" Toni prods gently. Cheryl stays silent for so long after the question is asked that Toni expects her to change her mind and clam up again, but then she answers.

"My brother was the golden boy. The favorite," the ginger girl replies decisively. Toni is with her right up until she adds, "Then, my father shot him in the head and later hung himself." The pink-haired girl's jaw drops.  _How the hell do I respond to_ that _?_

Thankfully, she doesn't have to, because Cheryl just keeps going.

"My mother hated that I had lived while Jason died. If it were up to her, she would've switched our positions and had me murdered instead," her roommate tells her, no trace of a lie in her voice. All Toni can do is gape. "My mother couldn't stand the fact that, as she put it, I like girls the way that I'm supposed to like boys."

At this, all of the brunette's breath rushes out of her lungs and she's left stunned, her brain unable to form coherent thoughts.

"And I tried-" Cheryl's voice cracks midsentence and suddenly, Toni realizes that her roommate is crying. "I tried  _so fucking hard_ to be the person that she wanted me to be. But... I didn't like men. I  _don't_ like men."

"Cheryl..." Toni's voice is slightly hoarse and she feels like her heart is going to jump out of her chest. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying..." the redhead swallows and meets her gaze. "I'm saying that you didn't misread any signals." Toni's breath catches in her throat. There are so many emotions fighting for dominance in her head, but primary among them is disbelief.

"I didn't?" she repeats, dumbfounded. Cheryl's lips twitch up slightly at her expression and she nods.

"I'm tired of letting my mother dictate my life for me," her roommate says simply, smiling shyly. "And I really like you, T.T."

"I really like you too, Cher," Toni admits, grinning widely. "So -- if you want to -- will you go on date with me?"

"I'd love to," Cheryl replies easily, and then quickly adds, "but I want to pick the location."

"Got somewhere specific in mind?" the pink-haired girl inquires, curious.

"Something like that," the redhead agrees, her eyes twinkling.

"Do I get to know where this place is?" Toni queries next.

"Not until we get there," Cheryl answers evasively.

"Well, how does tomorrow night sound for this mystery date spot of yours?" the brunette asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Tomorrow night sounds great," the ginger girl responds, smiling slyly.

"Okay," Toni says, a stupidly happy grin spreading across her face.

"Okay," Cheryl echoes, beaming.

_Okay indeed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter to go! The last one will be pretty short, it's kind of just there to tie up loose ends and relate the story more to its premise. Tell me what you think in the comments!


End file.
